Wild Hearts
by whatamithegeekmonkey
Summary: Lexa is a tiger handler at Australia Zoo. Clarke is a student on exchange for a semester in Queensland, Australia, with her best friend, Octavia. Before school starts they decide to do some sightseeing. Clarke is beyond excited to visit Australia Zoo. The two meet and of course romance blossoms. Clexa


**So this is the result of me going to the Zoo the other day. I couldn't stop imagining Lexa as a zookeeper so this became a thing..**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Come on Octavia! Hurry up!" Clarke pleaded, bouncing excitedly on the hotel bed.

"Oh my god, calm down Clarke" Octavia called through the bathroom door.

"I don't want to be late!" Clarke emphasized.

"We won't be late! It's barley seven o'clock!" Way to early to be awake in Octavia's opinion. Octavia opened the bathroom door and trudged out, towel still wrapped around her body and wet hair resting on her shoulders.

"Oh my god you're not even dressed O!" Clarke exclaimed, flopping dramatically back onto the lumpy bed.

"It takes time to achieve perfection, Clarke. Anyway what are you even wearing? You look ridiculous." Octavia frowned at her friend who was already fully dressed in clothes that were far from the dresses or skinny jeans she normally wore.

"What?" Clarke asked, pushing herself up again, looking down at her body." She was wearing a pair of brown three quarter length shorts that stopped just above her knee and a grey t-shirt that had a picture of a kangaroo and AUSTRALIA written across the front.

"And what's with your hair?" Octavia pointed at Clarke's hair that was tied in a low ponytail. Octavia couldn't remember a time that she'd seen Clarke's hair tied back in such a way.

"Well I couldn't fit my hat over a higher ponytail" Clarke grabbed a bright yellow and green cap that also had AUSTRALIA sprawled across the front, and pulled it firmly over her blonde hair.

"You look like such a tourist Clarke" Octavia rolled her eyes, patting her wet hair with another towel.

"Well I am a tourist Octavia, hurry up and get dressed! If you make me miss this I will be pissed!"

"I know, I know it's all you've been talking about since we got here!" Octavia pulled a yellow sundress from her suitcase along with her favorite flipflops.

"You can't wear that!" Clarke spoke smugly, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

"And why the hell not?" Octavia huffed. It was to early to deal with Clarke.

"It's not like the other theme parks O, the terms and conditions specifically say not to wear anything baggy or frilly so probably not a dress and you have to wear closed in flat shoes" Clarke wiggled her feet and Octavia's eyes dropped down to the black pair of converse shoes Clarke wore.

"Ugh seriously?" Octavia complained, abandoning the dress and rooting through her clothes again. "I only have jeans and short shorts, its way to hot for jeans so you're just gonna have to deal with me wearing shorts shorts and hope I don't offend the tigers or something, okay?" Octavia mocked, yanking on her white short shorts followed by a black tank top.

"Fine," Clarke agreed. She grabbed a large tube of sunscreen and started covering her body in it. "Here put some on." Clarke tossed the oily cream to Octavia who made a face. "I am not having you ruin this for me when you complain the sun is burning you, put it on!"

"Yes Mom" Octavia rolled her eyes again but did as she was told. After brushing her hair and leaving it to down she went to spray her favorite perfume on, knowing she would be hot and sweaty before the day was through.

"No! Don't put that on!" Clarke leaped from the bed and knocked the bottle from Octavia's hand.

"What the hell Clarke?" Octavia scrambled to make sure the bottle wasn't damaged.

"They said not to wear any strong perfume! Did you even look at the brochure I gave you?" Clarke groaned in annoyance.

"Maybe..."

"Ugh!"

"Calm down you're acting like a bloody kid on their first field trip!"

"Sorry I am just really excited! We are going on a walk with a tiger and getting photos!" Clarke squealed dancing on the spot. "And we get to touch them, but only on their back, you can't touch their head, ears or face"

"Oh my god, someone kill me!" Octavia dropped her head into her hands, today was going to be a long day.

* * *

Octavia pulled the rental car into the relatively quiet parking lot, before she even came to a complete stop Clarke was opening the passenger door and leaping from the car.

"Clarke you couldn't wait until I had actually turned the freakin car off?" Octavia cursed to no avail, Clarke was already skipping towards the entrance of the Zoo, yelling for Octavia to hurry up. Octavia turned the car off, muttering under her breathe. She hurried after Clarke, seriously concerned she would skip right in to some dangerous animals enclosure.

"Clarke slow down, I swear to god you're mother will kill me if you get eaten by something!" Octavia jogged after Clarke, already feeling the hot Australian sun heating her skin, it wasn't called the Sunshine Coast for no reason.

"I'm so excited Octavia! Aren't you excited? We are at the Steve Iriwn Zoo!" Clarke clapped her hands together looking around in awe as they waited at the reception. Going to the Australia Zoo, home of Steve Irwin had always been something Clarke had wanted to do, when Octavia and her found out that they had been excepted to study abroad a the University of Queensland she had been ecstatic. They had flown over two weeks before school started, to get settled and do some sight seeing.

"Yeah super excited," Octavia said sarcastically, she didn't find anything exciting before 10 am.

"Whatever!" Clarke laughed, shoving Octavia lightly.

"Hey ladies welcome to Australia Zoo how can I help ya?" A man with olive skin and golden hair bleached by the sun, greeted with a friendly smile and a thick Aussie accent, making Clarke beam. He wore matching khaki shorts and button up shirt much to Clarke's joy.

"Hi! I'm Clarke and this is my friend Octavia! We are here for the Tiger Walk!" Clarke passed the man the receipt she had printed when they made the booking, two weeks ago.

"Great! Here is a map of the zoo, If you just wait over by that gate, one of the tiger handlers will be with you shortly." The man passed her a neatly folded map.

"Thanks!" Clarke's cheeks already hurt from smiling.

"Enjoy your time at Australia Zoo."

"Thanks we will!"

"Come on you dork, lets go!" Octavia dragged Clarke away to where the man had indicated. "Oh my god he was so hot, but you look like such a dork you're cramping my style," Octavia complained.

"Whatever Octavia, I'm just wearing what is sensible," Clarke sighed, readjusting here cap, and peering over the gate they were waiting at, hoping to get a look at one of the animals.

"Oh my god, just wait Clarke, I'm sure they will be here soon." Octavia sat down on a nearby log, wresting her chin on her hand and closing her eyes.

Five minutes later Octavia was ready to strangle Clarke, she'd had enough of Clarke pacing backwards and forwards and asking what the time was every few minutes.

"What time is it now?" Clarke asked, she was bobbed down to the ground making sure her laces were secure and not at risk of coming loose. She didn't want to trip in front of the tiger.

"It's literally hasn't even been a minute since you last asked Clarke," Octavia shook her head.

"Oh look! I see someone coming!" Clarke exclaimed, pulling Octavia from the log. Clarke watched a woman walking towards them briskly. She wore the same khaki uniform as the man they first saw, as well as a khaki cap pulled over curly brown hair and big black work boots. As the woman got closer Clarke's excitement grew, she gripped Octavia's arm squeezing tightly and emitting a high pitched squeak that hurt Octavia's ears.

"Hi, are you ladies here for the Tiger walk?" The woman questioned coming to a stop in front of Clarke and Octavia.

"Yes! Yes we are!"

"Great I'm Lexa, I'm a tiger handler here at Australia Zoo, I will be taking you on your walk this morning." Lexa greeted, glancing from one girl to the other, smiling in slight amusement at the look of glee on the blonde's face. She couldn't stop her eyes from roaming the blonde, even in her stereotypical 'tourist' outfit she was cute.

Clarke didn't respond, her eyes just grew wider and she looked as if she might pass out.

"I'm Octavia and this dork is Clarke, excuse her she is loosing her mind at the fact that she is going to be near an actual tiger." Octavia nudged Clarke who was staring at Lexa.

"Oh right hi!" Clarke snapped out of her trance holding a hand out to Lexa, who took it in her own shaking it firmly.

"Nice to meet you Clarke," Lexa's smile softened. Octavia didn't miss the way the hand shake lingered for a moment too long, or the way both girls stared at each other. Clarke noted the other girls bright green eyes and tanned skin probably from years spent working in the sun. Who knew someone could look so good in a khaki uniform. Clarke had a feeling that Lexa would look good in anything though. "Before we get started today there are just a few things we need to go over." Lexa explained how the walk would work and what they could and couldn't do, all things Clarke had told Octavia more than one.

"Have you been to Australia Zoo before?" Lexa questioned as they walked, looking to Clarke and not Octavia.

"No we haven't! I have always wanted to since I was little! We are here studying on exchange and when I saw that you guys did close encounters with tigers I was so excited, tigers are my favorite animal! They are just so majestic and beautiful, you know?" Clarke rambled

"Yeah, I know, they are my favorite animal too." Lexa smirked, finding the American's accented rambling endearing.

Lexa led them through the quiet Zoo, explaining that it hadn't opened yet and that the tiger walks were conducted before general opening hours, for safety reasons.

"How long have you worked here?" Clarke asked curiously.

"I've officially worked here since I finished high school, so nearly six years, but I helped out a lot since I was young, my dad worked here," Lexa answered, trying not to let her eyes linger on Clarke for too long.

Clarke didn't answer, distracted by the tiger that had just come in to view. Lexa and Octavia watched her mouth drop as the large animal stopped at the fence recognizing Lexa.

"I'll just go get her and we can start." Lexa disappeared through a door, the tiger wandered off.

"Oh my gosh this is so exciting!" Clarke shrieked once Lexa was out of sight.

"I think I am going to be sick if I have to watch you two make heart eyes at each other the whole time!"

"What, what are you talking about?" Clarke hissed, looking around to make sure the tiger trainer wasn't in sight.

"Oh my god don't even pretend you don't find her hot, I totally saw you checking her ass out earlier!" Octavia smirked.

"Oh my god shut up before she comes back," Clarke clamped a hand tight over Octavia's mouth.  
Octavia licked it.

"Oh, ew gross! What are you, twelve?" Clarke jerked her hand away, wiping it on her shorts. "Shh shh here they come!" Clarke waved her hand at Octavia as she watched Lexa appear leading a tiger. Clarke's mouth dropped open once again, before her lips turned up in a huge smile

"Clarke and Octavia I'd like you to meet Mika," Lexa walked the tiger closer slowly, Octavia and Clarke both took a step back.

"Wow she's so big!" Clarke gawked in awe.

"She is actually one of our smaller tigers," Lexa smiled, she was use to people being awed by their sheer size.

"She's a bengal tiger right?" Clarke asked

"Yes she is," Lexa smiled at Clarke again, Octavia rolled her eyes, they had known each other for five minutes and they were already sickening. Lexa walked the tiger closer while making a purring sound.

"What is she doing?" Octavia asked Clarke quietly.

"It's called chuffing, right?" Clarke looked to Lexa for conformation, her eyes bright.

"Yes that's right, its one way tigers use to communicate." Clarke smiled smugly, giving Octavia a 'I told you so' look. Octavia ignored her.

"While we're walking we are going to let her lead the way, if she wants to stop we stop and if she wants to keep walking we will do so, you can touch her back while we walk but no where else. One of out photographers Monty will meet us out while we are walking to take some photos."

Clarke nodded eagerly, she stepped closer and tentatively held out her hand, softly running her fingers along Mika's back.

"Hi Mika," Clarke stroked her back with more confidence. She smiled up at Lexa her big blue eyes wide with wonder.

"She's amazing," Clarke said breathlessly, eyes dropping back to the magnificent animal in front of her.

"Yeah, yeah she is," Lexa agreed looking at Clarke.

* * *

 **Clarke is such a dork isn't she? I love it, poor Octavia doesn't.**

 **Let me know what you thought!**


End file.
